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As the new Republican-led U.S. Congress is inaugurated on Tuesday, many U.S. experts predict that some political battles will be fought in 2015 between President Barack Obama and the Republican Party (GOP).
"We're going to see some battles, but the GOP is going to pick and choose" which ones it wants to fight, Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told Xinhua in an interview.
Republicans clinched control of Congress in November in the biggest GOP sweep since World War II amid sinking popularity for Obama, as many Americans expressed frustration over an economy in which millions remain jobless or underemployed several years into the recovery from the worst recession in decades.
O'Connell said Republicans were elected not with the mandate to stick it to the Democrats, but rather to pass bills that would help the economy and create U.S. jobs.
The GOP has to put early wins on the board in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential elections. "They did not receive a mandate to take over," he said, explaining that the public was frustrated with the Obama administration for not passing bills that might improve the economy.
However, a fight is expected over Obama's healthcare overhaul, also known as Obamacare.
Indeed, the GOP may try to roll back parts of Obama's landmark but controversial healthcare reforms, which critics say put an unfair burden on the middle class to pay for healthcare for lower income individuals, although proponents say the law will get health insurance to many who previously could not afford it. Obama will veto any such GOP measures and has indicated he will take executive action if necessary.
GOP Senator Thom Tillis told Fox News on Monday his party will attempt to repeal what he called the "most onerous" parts of Obamacare.
Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that the GOP does not have the votes needed to override a presidential veto, so it is unlikely that Congress will be able to force any major changes in healthcare reform.
A budget war also looms. Republicans have vowed to slash spending and cut the size of government, while Obama said he will use his veto powers if needed. The fight could start as early as February, which is the deadline for the president to submit his budget proposals.
Still, Obama has said he would be prepared to work with Congress. He told reporters at his year-end press conference of 2014 that "I'm being absolutely sincere when I say I want to work with this new Congress to get things done ... We're going to disagree on some things, but there are going to be areas of agreement and we've got to be able to make that happen."
Some Republicans also appeared conciliatory, with GOP Senator Mitch McConnell, who will officially become Senate majority leader this week, recently citing tax reform as a potential area where both sides could bury the hatchet and work together.
In an interview Sunday on CNN's State of the Union, the senator said the two sides would need to "look for areas where we can make some progress for the country."
CLASHES OVER CUBA, IRAN
Obama last month surprised the world when he announced his plans to end the decades-long trade embargo against neighboring Cuba. "The two parties will clash over Cuba," West said of U.S. Democrats and Republicans, many of the latter having lambasted Obama's decision.
Obama plans to open an embassy in Cuba, but Republicans are not likely to vote to end the embargo.
"So U.S. policy will end up in the schizophrenic situation of having an embassy in Cuba amidst a continuing embargo on trade," West said.
While it is not clear how that will work out in practice, Obama will use the pulpit of the presidency to build a new relationship with Cuba, and there is little Republicans can do to stop the move, West said.
Christopher Galdieri, assistant professor at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, said in an interview with Xinhua that there's also disagreement within the GOP over the new Cuba policy. Senator Marco Rubio, for instance, who has Cuban roots, came out against normalizing relations, while GOP rising star Senator Rand Paul has made some favorable statements.
On Iran, the Obama administration continues to negotiate a deal with Tehran that would end U.S.-led sanctions if the two can agree on the Islamic republic's nuclear program, but some Republican lawmakers are skeptical, and say they will support continued sanctions if they do not like whatever deal emerges.
As for compromises, there could be bipartisan agreements on trade policy. The administration is pushing ahead to finalize key trade agreements and this is an area that Republicans could support, West said. Enditem
